Rayzilla's Vortek VK5/7 Wish List.

[Rayzilla]

Originally Posted by RichMan

For christ sake Marc, just send him the materials with the "How to build your own..." instructions booklet

He did... but I don't read 'Brooklyn', so I had to send them back to be modified - eh.

Now why don't you contribute something constructive to this thread.
What do you think of P5? Or do you think that I should just leave it with White nylon?

[Batmite29]

I have about the same atk as you and I went with a 34 plus 2. I think any more and I wouldnt be able to to skate....

a plus 3 would definitly be overkill. think wisely on your pad size.


These pads (VK7s) have been great, perfect out of the box and hold its shape like a charm.

No complaints on the pads thus far.

[Rayzilla]

Thanks for all input thus far.

What are your thoughts on the calf wing? Do you think weave or jenpro slides better? And lasts longer in terms of wear?

Thanks.

[Crease_Flounder]

Sorry Ray:

I got sidetracked by a charity tournament and the cup finals. I'll make sure to update this thread tonight.

Johnny

[Rayzilla]

Originally Posted by Crease_Flounder

Sorry Ray:

I got sidetracked by a charity tournament and the cup finals. I'll make sure to update this thread tonight.

Johnny

No problem Johnny.

I'll be playing tonight, so I will also provide my comments regarding the +2 on my C-10's for others to consider for their situations.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks,
Raymond

[Crease_Flounder]

Here's some pics of my set along with a side by side of the leg pads with my C-10's. For the record, I really enjoy the C-10's and was concerned that I would feel out of place in anything else since they are such a uniquely designed pad. Some of my favorite features are the thin profile, flexibility, and the negative boot channel. I've worn one or two other pads since getting the Sher-woods and found that the boot channels were too deep now that I've gotten used to such a shallow one. I also found that the other pads felt kind of bulky and blocky, so I kept going back to the C-10's. The one pad during this whole exercise that I felt comfortable in was a used pair of VK5's that I bought on ebay, so when the Vortek custom sets came up on ebay, it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

The new set:

A) Gloves: I'm not going to spend a lot of time here since there isn't really a whole lot to say. The blocker is light but not flimsy and the catcher is like a dream. It fits great, feels natural, and does all of the things a catcher is supposed to do. I got the pro-palm and was concerned about break in, but it has taken very little time to get it almost as flexible and easy to close as my C10 glove is, but with much better protection and a more natural feel and balance. If I lived in California, I probably wouldn't try to marry the catch, but it might have crossed my mind. It's a really nice glove.

B) Pads: This is my first new set of pads ever, so I'm pretty used to getting things already broken in. Marc and I discussed several options and I ended up going with a pretty much stock 34+2. We'd discussed the soft boot, but I don't remember specifically ordering it, so I may have rec'd the firm. I won't talk about the overall construction, since it's been discussed many times and is top notch. Right out of the box, the weight of the pads is similar to the Sher-woods. They're very light. The boot channel is wide and shallow, so it won't take long to get used to the feel of that part of the pad and I won't have to adjust my stance too much. I really like the responsiveness that the shallow boot and "Icebite" offset toe the C10 gives. It's tough to explain, but my recoveries were quicker and I felt like I could engage my edges faster and better with the Sherwoods than with previous pads. I found that it was a little different with the VK7's, but I could still get a good wide stance without slipping out and I could find the ice with my blade pretty quickly on recoveries. Flexibility wise, I would say go with every flexibility option you can. I'm not sure that anything can be as flexible as the C10's, since they're sooooooo thin, but these have a really nice flex at the shin break and the knee break is just a little less flexy. I'm assuming I have a firm boot, since it is pretty stiff, but I've never had brand new before and it could be just not broken in. The stiffness of the boot pushes the pad up a bit, which could be what makes the feel of the pad a bit taller. You can see in the photos how the C10 toe is more flat while the VK7 toe is more angled.

In trying the pads on for the first time, the "tallness" is the first thing I noticed. Even though they're both 34+2's, the VK7s just felt taller than what I was used to. I tried to show the difference by keeping the toes horizontal in the front view pic. Doing "carpetflys", my butterfly had to be just a bit wider to avoid overlaps. I think over time, as I get a good curve and get the boot broken in, they will feel less so, but right out of the box, it was a little more than I expected. If I had it to do over again, I probably would have gone a little smaller on the + so I could get a more familiar feel right off the bat. Playing in them was fun, and though they were taller than what I'm used to, they were easier to get around in than I expected. Maybe it's the 11" width??

Lastly, I opted for the thigh guards instead of the thigh boards. I had under the pant guards on the C10's and liked them. The Vortek guards are much more protective and have better, thicker strapping, though, if you get this option, make sure that you measure the circumferance of your thigh so that you can get longer straps if you've got thick legs. I would say that I've got average-to-muscular legs for a 160 lb. guy, and the straps are very snug on me. By very snug, I mean rub the hair off your legs through your socks (in my case sweatpants) snug. A bigger guy would not be able to use the pair that I have.

Overall: I'm pleased with the purchase. It will take a bit of getting used a more traditional pad coming from one that is more "gimmicky", but I think it will be less than I anticipated. I may need to do something about the thigh guards, but that's pretty minor. Oh, and did I mention that the catch glove is frickin' awesome?

If you've got specific questions about comparing features or if you'd like to see any other side-by-side photos, please let me know. I'm happy to help out!

Johnny

[The Wall33]

Originally Posted by Crease_Flounder

Hey Rayzilla:

I'm also coming from a 34+2" C-10 (Wellsie Pro Returns ) Johnny

Awesome! I'm so glad someone from the BB got those pads - they were my favourite pads in many years... hope you enjoy(ed) them! I usually cannot bother producing hard copies of me playing in action pics but I did take the time to do it with the C-10's...

Wellsie

^^^ Kewl - Vorteks 'spooning' with Sherwoods... should make for some interesting offspring!

One funny detail; Shewrwood misspelled my name on the pads, sent them as "Dave Well" instead of "Dave Wells". Sherwood 'comped' me 3 sticks and I added the "s" in black by marker...

[Rayzilla]

Hey Johnny, thank you very much for your detailed description of your new set of VK7's. Especially the side by side pictures and the comparison details between the VK7 and your C-10's. It's a great coincidence that we both used identical sized C-10's. The information that you provided is immeasureable. Thanks a lot!

Because of your description and illustrations, I will be revising my thigh rise order to only +2. Initially I was contemplating either +2.5 or +3. Seeing that your VK7 that is 34+2 is noticeably taller than your C-10 that is also 34+2, then I will be satisfied with +2 because I would like it to be just a very little taller than my C-10's now.

Could you do me one more favour either measure wise or picture wise? Could you please measure the length of your pads along the inside and the outside of the face of the pads for comparison. I just want to make sure that my C-10 measures exactly the same as yours.

Thanks again,
Raymond

[Crease_Flounder]

Originally Posted by Rayzilla

Could you do me one more favour either measure wise or picture wise? Could you please measure the length of your pads along the inside and the outside of the face of the pads for comparison. I just want to make sure that my C-10 measures exactly the same as yours.

Thanks again,
Raymond

No Problem:

C-10's - Inside face, along the diagonal of the toe, 35.5" with 28.5" to the boot break.
Outside face, along the inside of the roll, 37.5" with 29.5" to the boot break.


VK-7's - Inside face, along the diagonal of the toe, 36" with 28.5" to the boot.
Outside face, along the inside of the roll, 36.5" with almost 29" to the boot.

Wierd, the VK-7's measure out smaller, but feel taller. I'm guessing that the boot angle and stiffness are to account for this?

Johnny

[Rayzilla]

Originally Posted by Crease_Flounder

No Problem:

C-10's - Inside face, along the diagonal of the toe, 35.5" with 28.5" to the boot break.
Outside face, along the inside of the roll, 37.5" with 29.5" to the boot break.


VK-7's - Inside face, along the diagonal of the toe, 36" with 28.5" to the boot.
Outside face, along the inside of the roll, 36.5" with almost 29" to the boot.

Wierd, the VK-7's measure out smaller, but feel taller. I'm guessing that the boot angle and stiffness are to account for this?

Johnny

Hello Johnny, thanks again for taking your time to take these measurements for me. It's funny, but mine read just a little different:

C-10's - Inside face, along the diagonal of the toe, 36.5" with 29" to the boot break, and boot is 7.5".
Outside face, along the inside of the roll, 37.25" with 29.75" to the boot break, and boot is 7.5".

Therefore, based on this information, I will ask if Marc to revise the +2 to +3 on the thigh rise. That will make the VK7 to be just a little longer than my current pads. Eventually the VK7 will shrink a little and be very similar to my current pads.

Marc, you have a PM coming your way. Please let me know if this is still ok.

[Rayzilla]

I forgot to ask, is there padding on the inside boot area where the boot strap is? I have overdrive blades on my skates, and I remember trying a set of R8's that had padding there that would cause my skate to slip.

Thanks,
Raymond

[Batmite29]

Originally Posted by Rayzilla

Thanks for all input thus far.

What are your thoughts on the calf wing? Do you think weave or jenpro slides better? And lasts longer in terms of wear?

Thanks.

I have the real leather set, so I really cant comment. As for sliding, I prefer a lesser sliding pad, if that makes sense...

To each his own...

[Rayzilla]

Originally Posted by Rayzilla

Thanks for all input thus far.

What are your thoughts on the calf wing? Do you think weave or jenpro slides better? And lasts longer in terms of wear?

Thanks.

Anyone else have any thoughts on the above question?

One more question:

Has anyone tried on a VK5 glove with the regular palm AND also tried a VK5 glove with the pro-palm? Just wondering if it changes the glove closure much.

Thanks.

[ryanduffy33]

Originally Posted by Rayzilla

Thanks for all input thus far.

What are your thoughts on the calf wing? Do you think weave or jenpro slides better? And lasts longer in terms of wear?

Thanks.

weave slides alot better mike vaughn proved it with cam ward! they las t almost the exact same

[Beazil]

Originally Posted by ryanduffy33

weave slides alot better mike vaughn proved it with cam ward! they las t almost the exact same

??? Well, I guess I still can contribute something, although it contradicts what Ryan's written.

I'd suggest jenpro as opposed to weave. Weave has a texture, while jenpro is smooth. Smooth suggests easier to slide. In my experience this has been the case, but I have the right to be wrong.